Yoga Retreat in Vietnam: What a Day at the Ashram Involves

A yoga retreat in Vietnam at the Sivananda ashram near Da Lat means joining a fixed daily schedule rather than booking a room and filling the days yourself. Two yoga classes, three vegetarian meals, a morning and an evening gathering, and an hour set aside for community work. Guests, students and residents all follow the same rhythm.

This page describes what that day contains, what the accommodation is like, and which house rules apply — the practical detail that decides whether a place suits you. If you have already decided, the Yoga Vacation page is where to book.

Where it is, and what kind of place

The ashram sits above Tuyen Lam Lake in the highlands outside Da Lat, at around 1,500 metres. The altitude is the reason the residential programmes are based here: the climate stays temperate all year, so the schedule does not have to work around heat.

It is an ashram, not a resort in the usual sense of the word. The practical difference is the schedule. You are not choosing between activities on a menu; you are joining a day that is already set, alongside everyone else on the property.

The tradition behind it goes back to the 1960s and Swami Vishnudevananda, who built the Sivananda system around five principles and a fixed sequence of twelve postures. In Vietnam the programme has run since 2009, under the guidance of Swami Sitaramananda, who was born in Da Lat.

The day, in order

Nine things happen in a full day. The site publishes clock times for the meals only, so those are the times given here; the rest is the order they come in.

A light fruit snack is served in the afternoon, and the boutique in the Main Hall stocks extra food if you want it.

One point about attendance, because it is the rule people are most surprised by: the morning and evening satsang, and at least one yoga class a day, are mandatory. The second class is optional. The hour of karma yoga appears in the daily schedule; the house guidelines describe it as voluntary and appreciated.

The yoga class

The class at the ashram runs two hours — longer than the ninety-minute open classes at the Sivananda city centres, with more room for the relaxation between postures.

The order does not change from day to day, or between teachers:

• Initial relaxation, lying in Savasana
• Pranayama — seated breathing practice, before the postures and not after
• Sun Salutations, to warm the body
• Leg raises
• The twelve basic postures, each held and then followed by a short rest
• Final relaxation — ten to fifteen minutes, guided

Every posture has an easier version, and those versions are the expected form for a new student. Teachers ask you to work at your own pace and to say beforehand if you have an injury or a health condition, so the practice can be adjusted. The full sequence is described in the beginner's guide, and the breathing practices in the page on prana.

The food

Meals are vegetarian and cooked on site, mostly from organic vegetables grown locally, with dairy used sparingly. Three servings a day: porridge at 7:30, a main meal at 10:00, dinner at 6:00, plus the afternoon fruit.

What is not served, and what guests are asked not to bring onto the property: meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, tobacco, coffee and black tea. If you have a dietary requirement, note it on the application form — though the guidelines are direct that personal preferences beyond the vegetarian menu cannot be catered for.

Coffee is worth singling out, since it catches people out. There is none, and Da Lat is a coffee-growing region, so the contrast is sharper here than it would be elsewhere.

Satsang, and what participation means

Satsang happens twice a day and has three parts: group meditation, then call-and-response singing known as kirtan, then a talk on the practical philosophy of yoga and Vedanta.

Sheets with the words are handed out so you can follow along, and joining in is described as something to do as far as you feel comfortable. Attendance is required; singing is not. In practice people sit through their first few satsangs listening, which is unremarkable and expected.

The rooms

Three options, all in villa-style buildings within walking distance of the dining hall and the yoga hall:

• Private room — single occupancy, own bathroom
• Shared room for two — shared en-suite bathroom
• Shared room for four

The site's own description of the standard is worth quoting because it sets expectations accurately: accommodation is "comfortable, yet basic". Bedding and towels are provided. Housekeeping, air conditioning and heaters are not.

The absence of heating matters more than the absence of air conditioning. Da Lat is temperate, not hot, and highland nights get cool, so bring something warm. More detail is on the Accommodations page.

The house rules

Fifteen guidelines are published in full on the During Your Stay page. The ones that shape a day:

• Check-in is 2:00 pm to 7:30 pm; check-out by 12:00 pm.
• Silence after 10:00 pm.
• No phones in yoga classes, meditation or lectures.
• No music played out loud — headphones are fine.
• Loose, modest clothing.
• No cooking, candles or incense in the rooms or tents.
• No pets.
• Photography and recording need written permission from the administration in advance.

Read them before you book. They are not onerous, but they are specific, and a few — the mandatory attendance, the phone rule, the coffee — are better known in advance than discovered on arrival.

Outside the schedule

Four activities run alongside the fixed day, all dependent on weather:

• Sunrise meditation on an outdoor platform above the lake and valley
• Forest bathing — a morning walk into the old-growth forest on the mountain
• Bonfire satsang, held outside in the evening
• Labyrinth walk — following a marked path to the centre and back out

Between sessions the property is open: ponds, places to sit, the forest paths. The gaps in the schedule are not filled for you.

Longer stays

For a full immersion there is a one-month residency: accommodation plus every class, both satsangs, the daily workshops and the hour of karma yoga, with classical Vedic philosophy covered across the month. No previous experience of yoga, or of the Sivananda system, is required — only a willingness to take part in all of it.

Anyone thinking further ahead can look at the 200-hour teacher training. That is a course, not a retreat, and it works differently.

Common questions

Is this a luxury yoga retreat?

No, and the site does not present it as one. Rooms are basic by design, with no housekeeping, air conditioning or heating. What is provided is the schedule, the teaching, the meals and the setting.

Is it a silent retreat?

No. Talking is normal; quiet hours start at 10:00 pm. If silence is what you are looking for, the Vedanta and Silence course is the programme built around it.

What does it cost?

No prices are published on this site. Email [email protected] or call (+84) 263 650 1100 for current rates and availability.

How long do people stay?

The Yoga Vacation runs year round and stays vary in length. The one-month residency is the only fixed-length option described on the site. Ask when you enquire.

Do I need to have done yoga before?

No. The postures all have beginner versions, and the one-month residency states outright that no previous experience is needed.

Is it suitable if I only want to relax?

Partly. The rest is real — long relaxations, unstructured afternoons, quiet grounds. But two satsangs and a yoga class a day are required, so you are agreeing to the shape of the day in advance, not choosing it each morning.

Is it an ashram or a hotel?

An ashram. You join a shared daily routine, eat what the kitchen has cooked at the times it is served, and take part in the community's activities. That structure is the thing being offered.

Does it work as a yoga holiday?

The programme is called the Yoga Vacation, and people do come for a week or two the way they would take a holiday anywhere. What differs from most holidays in Vietnam is that the days are already scheduled and two sessions a day are required. Read the daily order above and decide whether that reads as a rest to you — for a good number of guests it does.

Where exactly is it?

Hoa Hong Street, Tuyen Lam Lake, Xuan Huong Ward, Da Lat, Lam Dong Province. See the Da Lat Ashram & Health House page.

Further reading: Yoga in Vietnam · During your stay · Guest information · FAQ · The Five Points of Yoga · Seva, Study and Karma Yoga